Jim Pipe Books

A fantastic book about the fire of London in a unique and engaging format.

From the introduction, the reader is placed in the role of Samuel Pepys and guided through the London streets as he knew them – with all the hustle, bustle, smells, smoke and gory details! Within the opening pages, the fire of London is firmly placed within the historical and political context of the time – the aftermath of the Civil War, the recent plague outbreak and superstitions rife and then takes you through the events of the fire and its speedy spread across London.

Each double page narrates a part of the story of the fire, including what you (as Pepys) are doing at this time. It them poses an interesting question and answers it in several ways – for example, the question ‘How can the fire be stopped?’ leads to a discussion around the fire brigade, fire breaks, water pumps and asking the mayor for help. Each page also has a ‘Handy Hint’ box containing fun facts or advice for Pepys!

This book is a perfect accompaniment to the popular KS1 history topic but could also be used as a valuable resource in Lower KS2 for a group or whole class reading text or as a reading-for-pleasure choice to consolidate knowledge.